Sausage Tortellini Soup

Sausage tortellini soup makes a simple, filling dinner the whole family will enjoy. This delicious soup is loaded with Italian sausage, cheese tortellini, vegetables and spices.

Sometimes getting dinner on the table seems like a huge task. That’s why it’s important to find meals that are not only nutritious, but cook quickly and are easy to make. Soups are really great for this! Like this sausage tortellini soup, this turkey taco soup and cabbage sausage soup come together in less than an hour.

This tortellini soup features Italian sausage. Sausage recipes are great for busy weeknights and tight budgets. They’re affordable, flavorful and work well with a myriad of other ingredients. This collection of sausage recipes shows just how versatile this ingredient is.

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5-6 ounces Spinach, Kale, Chard or a combination of greens – for this soup we use a combination of all three

Salt, to taste – if needed at the end

Prep work

The prep work for this soup is quick and easy. Since we’re using prepackaged, convenience ingredients like chicken broth, canned tomatoes, refrigerated tortellini and pre-washed greens, most of the prep is done already!

Remove the sausage from its casing and tear into small pieces (if you’re not using bulk). This will make it much easier to break up once it hits the hot pot.

Dice the onions, carrots and celery. They’re going into the pot at the same time so keep them in the same bowl. I like using glass nesting bowls to organize my prepped ingredients.

Mince the garlic.

Add the oregano, basil, thyme, black pepper and crushed red pepper (if using) to a small bowl. Make a seasoning mix when you’re using multiple spices in a recipe that go in at the same time. That way you’re not standing over a hot pot measuring spices.

Wash the greens if not using a pre-washed package.

That’s it for the prep work; all that’s missing is measuring out the olive oil, water and opening the tomatoes, chicken broth and the package of tortellini.

Make the sausage tortellini soup

We’re going to start the soup by browning the sausage

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook for approximately 4-5 minutes until browned. Stir frequently and break up large pieces with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Drain any excess oil from the pot, if desired. An easy way to do this is to take the pot off the heat (carefully move it over to an empty burner). Mound the sausage on one side of the pot. Gently tip the pot so that the excess oil pools on the other side of the sausage. Use a ladle or a large spoon to scoop out some of the excess oil. Place the pot back over the heat and safely dispose of the oil.

Now, we’re going to sauté the vegetables to create another layer of flavor.

Lower the heat to medium and add the onions, carrots and celery to the pot. Cook the vegetables with the Italian sausage for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Next we’ll add the garlic and spices. This is when things start smelling amazing! Your family might come out of their rooms asking what you’re cooking.

Now that we have a wonderful base for this soup, we’ll add the liquid.

Add the diced tomatoes, chicken broth and water to the pot. Stir well, scraping any bits off the bottom. Raise the heat to high and bring the broth to a boil. It will take about 5 minutes for the liquid to start boiling.

When the broth starts boiling, lower heat to medium-low and cover the pot. Cook the soup for 15 minutes, keeping it at a simmer and stirring occasionally.

Now the sausage and vegetables are cooked through and we have a flavorful broth going. It’s time to finish the soup with the tortellini and the greens.

Add the tortellini to the soup and stir. Raise the heat to medium to get the broth boiling. Cook the tortellini, uncovered for 6-8 minutes. Follow the package recommended cooking time. Keep the soup boiling gently so that the tortellini cooks through; raise or lower the heat as needed.

Add the greens to the pot. At first, it’s going to look like there’s way too much!

But, stir them for 2-3 minutes and they start to wilt and significantly reduce in volume.

Season the soup, if necessary. Hold off until the end to add salt since the Italian sausage, chicken broth, diced tomatoes and tortellini all contain a good amount already.

Taste the sausage tortellini soup and add salt if needed. As a reference we added ¼ teaspoon to ours.

Variations, notes and tips

If you like things a little spicy use hot Italian sausage instead of mild.

If you want to use frozen tortellini instead of fresh keep in mind that the temperature of the soup will drop. It will take longer for the soup come back to a boil and for the tortellini to cook. Adjust the cooking time accordingly.

This soup does not freeze well. Pasta in general, doesn’t do well in the freezer, it becomes mushy. If you would like to freeze the soup, do so without adding the tortellini.

Store the soup in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to 3 days. Reheat the soup in a saucepan on the stovetop over medium-low to low heat until warmed through; or use the microwave.

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook for approximately 4-5 minutes until browned, stirring frequently and breaking up large pieces with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Drain excess oil from the pot, if desired.

Lower the heat to medium and add the onions, carrots and celery to the pot. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the diced tomatoes, chicken broth and water to the pot. Stir well, gently scraping any bits off the bottom. Raise the heat to high and bring the broth to a boil.

When the liquid is boiling, lower heat to medium-low and cover the pot. Cook the soup, keeping it at a simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the tortellini to the soup and stir. Raise the heat to medium to get the broth boiling. Cook the tortellini, uncovered for 6-8 minutes. Follow the cooking time recommended on the package. Keep the liquid boiling gently; raise or lower the heat as needed.

Add the greens to the soup and cook for 2-3 minutes until they’re wilted, stir occasionally.

Taste the soup and add salt if needed. As a reference we added ¼ teaspoon to ours.